Draft-equalizer.



No. 865,534. PATENTED SEPT. 10,1907. G. P. SAMPSON.

DRAFT EQUALIZER. APPLICATION FILED ran. 24. 1900.

akgi Inventor PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. SAMPSON, OF NEWTON, IOWA.

DRAFT-EQUALIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed February 24, 1906. Serial No. 303,067.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. Silrirsoiv, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Newton, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa,have invented a certain new and useful Draft-Equalizer, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a draft equalizer of simple,durable and inexpensive construction of the class in which the draftcenter of the draft bar is thrown to one side of the draft center of theequalizer bar:

My invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 shows a top or plan view of the completedevice. The dotted lines show the draft bar directly in line fore andaft with the draft center of the equalizer bar and the solid lines showthe draft bar in the position it would assume when the device is in useand is being advanced on a straight line. Fig. 2 shows a perspectiveview of the complete device with the doubletrees omitted, and Fig. 3shows a transverse, sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the referencenumeral 10 to indicate the equalizer bar provided with two double-trees11 connected with its opposite ends, said double-trees in turn eachprovided with two swingle-trees 12.

Near one end of the equalizer bar, I have pivoted two short links 13 andnear the other end of the equalizer bar two long links 14 are pivoted.These links project rearwardly from the equalizer bar and their rearends pivotally support a lever 15. By reason of the difference in lengthof the links 13 and 14, the said lever 15 is supported at one side ofthe draft center of the equalizer bar.

Pivoted to the central portion of the lever 15 is a draft bar 16arranged substantially on a fore and aft line and formed with a lateralextension 1'7 at its rear end provided with a number of openings 18 toprovide means by which the draft bar may be attached to a vehicle. Onthe forward end of the draft bar 16 is a guide arm 19 which projectsforwardly over the equalizer bar and its forward end is curved slightlyin a direction toward the draft center of the equalizer bar. At saidforward end is an upwardly projecting lug 20 for purposes hereinaftermade clear.

The numeral 21 indicates a bolt fixed to the equalizer bar and this boltserves to support a keeper 22, the other end of which is supported by abolt fixed to the equalizer bar, said keeper being supported far enoughabove the equalizer bar 10 to admit the guide bar 19 under it and thebolt 21 also serves to limit the lateral movement of the guide arm 19 ina direction toward the draft center of the equalizer bar.

23 indicates a limiting arm pivoted to the bolt 21 projecting rearwardlyand formed with a slot 24 to receive the bolt 25, which bolt serves topivotally connect the draft bar 16 with the lever 15. This limiting armserves the function of limiting the movement of the lever 15 when thedraft equalizer is being turned around when in use. i

In Fig. 1, the arrow 26 indicates the draft center of the equalizer bar10 and the arrow 27 indicates the draft center of the draft bar 16 whenthe parts are in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1.

In practical use and assuming that four draft animals are attached tothe swingle-trees 12 and assuming further that the draft bar 16 is inthe position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, then if the draft animalswere advanced in a straight line and a vehicle attached to the draftbar, then the draft bar would swing relative to the equalizer bar to theposition shown in solid lines in Fig. 1 for the reason that the guidearm 19 would engage and slide upon the bolt 21 and cause the draft barto stand in position substantially in line with the fore and aft linethrough the equalizer bar. However, the draft bar is not rigidlysupported in the position, shown by solid lines in Fig. 1, and if it isdesired to turn the draft animals around, the draft bar may swingrelative to the equalizer bar in one direction as far as the positionshown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and as the draft animals are turnedaround in an opposite direction, the draft bar will swing relativeto'the equalizer bar to position with the guide arm 19 adjacent to theforward end of the link 13, the movement in this direction being limitedby the bolt 25 in the slot 24 and by the lug 2O engaging the keeper 22.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, therefor is 1. An improved draftequalizer, comprising an equalizerbar, links pivoted to the oppositeends of the equalizer bar and projected rearwardly, a lever pivoted tothe rear ends of said links, a draft bar pivoted to said lever, a linkpivoted to the equalizer bar and pivoted to said lever and a guide armconnected with the draft bar and projected over the equalizer bar andmeans for limiting the movement of the guide arm toward the draft centerof the equalizer bar.

2. An improved draft equalizer, comprising an equalizer bar, a shortlink and a long link pivoted to opposite ends of the equalizer bar andprojected rearwardly, a lever pivoted to the rear ends of said links, adraft bar pivoted to the said lever having, means at its rear end forattachment to vehicles and having a guide arm at its forward endprojected adjacent to the equalizer bar, means for limitingthe movementof said guide arm in a direction toward the draft center of theequalizer bar and a link pivoted to the equalizer bar and pivotally andadjustably connected with the draft bar and with said lever at a pointbetween the equalizer bar and the rear end of the draft bar.

3. An improved draft equalizer comprising an equalizer bar. two shortlinks pivoted to one end of the equalizer bar and projected rearwa'rdly,two long links pivoted to the other end of the equalizer bar andprojected rearwardly and laterally toward the draft center of theequalizer bar, a triangular lever having its ends pivotally supportedbetween the rear ends of said links, a draft bar pivoted to said leverand formed with a lateral extension at its rear end provided withopenings and also formed with a guide arm at its forward end projectingover the equalizer bar at one side of its draft center and formed with alug at its forward end, a bolt fixed to the equalizerbar to limit themovement of the guide arm toward the draft center of the equalizer bar,a'keeper supported by the equalizer bar, above the guide arm and inposition to be engaged by the lug 0f the guide arm and a limiting armpivoted to the equalizer bar and having a limited sliding connectionwith the draft bar at the point where it is pivoted to the lever.

GEORGE l. SAMPSON.

Witnesses C. J. IRISH,

B. R. YOUNG.

